Fiona Enright

Logocentrism/Centralist Ideology

"Derrida identifies logocentrism, and by extension phonocentrism, as one of the societal and philosophical challenges to be overcome through grammatology and deconstruction. Logocentrism, a term that predates both Of Grammatology and Derrida’s theories, is re- conceptualized by Derrida to mean a hierarchy of thought, speech, and writing in western philosophical thought. In logocentrism, “logos,” a polysemy meaning words, speech, or discourse in ancient Greek, occupies the highest position within its hierarchy. Logos, in the context of western philosophy, chiefly refers to reason or truth. Logocentric belief asserts that thought, existing purely in the mind of the individual, is externalized through speech for discourse. Writing, considered supplementary to speech, cannot exist on its own as a distinct form of language." Fiona Enright. 'Section III, Part b' The Human Element: Information, Knowledge and Art in the Digital Episteme. 2021.